Let's Remodel This Kitchen!

I can’t believe it’s almost been a year since I bought my house. My wish list is still very long, but I’ve done a lot over the past 11 months. I remodeled my hall bathroom, did a ton of landscaping work around the outside, put in a great porch extension and re-decorated my master bedroom. I also replaced five ceiling fans and two hallway lights. I was going to tackle my master bath next, but I’m going to push forward with the biggest (and most expensive) phase of my design plan - replace all the flooring in my main living areas, re-design my fireplace surround and remodel my kitchen.

The reason for doing all three projects at once is because I’m doing some very minor “demo” in the kitchen and I need to get the flooring done at the same time. Plus, I HATE MY CARPET even more than I HATE MY FIREPLACE. Sorry for the yelling, but I feel very strongly about both things being out of my life as quickly as possible. Here is what those areas look like today…

I was recently engaged and we have plans to combine households once our kids have their college plans in place, which is about two years away. With this, I’m approaching the design with resale in mind but I also want to enjoy the fruits of my labor. This means I need to make smart choices, but pick things that reflect my design aesthetic. Here are a few mood boards I’ve been working on:

Jennifer Taylor Design - Kitchen Mood Board
Jennifer Taylor Design - Kitchen Mood Board
Jennifer Taylor Design - Mood Board Inspiration

I’m keeping the cabinets white and will use black accents in both rooms with the tile, lighting, faucet and backsplash. I’m thinking about painting the pantry door black, what do you think?

So, let’s talk numbers. I was very transparent about the costs on my hall bath renovation and I plan to do the same with this renovation. I’ve got nothing to hide and I want my readers to understand real numbers, not HGTV numbers. I’ve put together a preliminary budget for each big area and will fine tune them as I begin making selections.

  • Flooring Changes - $8,500

  • Fireplace Surround & TV Cabinet - $3,000

  • Painting - $1,500

  • Kitchen Remodel - $35,000

Yep, those numbers add up fast and now it’s time to see if they are realistic. I made an appointment with one of my favorite cabinet shops, Tallahassee Kitchen Center. We talked about the layout, I selected some preliminary design elements and now I wait for their estimate. I then sent my appliance wish list to Appliance Consultants. I visited Southern Flooring to narrow down the options for my new wood flooring and they are coming out to measure next week. Finally, I’ve reached out to my favorite fabricator, First in Counters, to price a few different countertop options I like. These four items account for 80% of my budget so that is why I’m starting there.

I’d love to have you join me as I plan and then manage this remodel. I promise to share the good, bad and the ugly!

Thanks for Reading!

Jennifer

Previous
Previous

My Kitchen Design is Coming Together

Next
Next

Hillside {final look}